


September Skies and Snuggles

by Synapse



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Feelstember, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hope, Phoenix Nest Discord
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-06 03:07:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20499854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synapse/pseuds/Synapse
Summary: Fluffy little oneshots for the Feelstember prompts list!(...some might be more angst than fluff, though. Oops.)





	1. "Cuddles"

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be updating this as often as possible, but this month promises to be very busy, so my apologies if updates are infrequent! I'll be doing as many of the prompts as possible.  
Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one's for the "cuddles" prompt.   
Technically, this was for the second day (the first day was too busy), but it's likely that the piece written for each day will end up being posted the day after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For context: This is written in a superhero AU that I've been working on over the past few weeks. Hopefully it'll see the light of day eventually, but for now, while I work out the plot and first draft, I'll probably be doing some of it in here just to get a feel for it. I'm... not happy with this one, but I'm posting it anyway.

It's a peaceful night, until the screaming starts.

Most of neighborhood is used  to it by now.  Howling sirens, haunting screams, tinkling of shattered glass and wrathful yells- it's the norm and had been for the last decade. The city hadn't been a stranger to crime even before the rise of the Empire. Now it's unusual not to hear about last night's mugging or the week's shooting.

Kanan supposes that he can't say he isn't used to it either. But unlike the rest of the neighborhood, he actually does something about it. Tonight isn't any different.

At first the night's work is routine. Hera- or Wraith, when they're undercover like this- radios him news about a mugging a few streets away while on patrol. She waits while he runs over, then they drop into the alley. She holds her gun to the mugger's head. Kanan frees the victim and guides them away. She does the talking and warns the guy off. He pulls the weaponry off the man.  Then they let him go, because they can't do anything to him and the whitejackets don't care about muggers, much like they don't care about the rapists or the mobs or the supervillains . No monetary investment, no police intervention. 

The only thing that's different about tonight is the snow. They haven't been here long enough to know what the winter season holds in store. 

Their patrol brings them by the river. It's sluggish, muddied brown from the nearby factories, and relatively shallow. Autumn here isn't wet nor intensely cold, so it has yet to ice over or swell with early snowmelt. Kanan knows it's still frigid and isn't inclined to take a swim. He stays well away from the sidewalk on the bank. The chill is fierce, but his mask gives him some protection from the whip of the wind. His reinforced clothing does a double duty of keeping him both safe and warm, so he's comfortable as he walks. He keeps his eyes on the swivel, listening, watching, waiting. Looking back, he's never sure how he missed the guy lurking behind him. 

They thud into his back, and he tumbles to the cold concrete. Swallowing a yelp, he scrambles to his feet, fists up and waiting. His gun is heavy on his belt. But he doesn't want to kill anyone tonight, so he leaves it be.

The mugger is back. With friends.

He  barely  has enough time to press the emergency button on his radio before he's drawn into the fight. Minutes later a dark figure drops from the shadows behind his opponents. Kanan smiles as he brings his fist into an opponent's stomach, and spares half a second to watch. 

Wraith whirls, snaps a off high kick and knocks out one of the men. He hadn't even seen her. Her pistol comes up to another man's head, but he's caught on to her and he grabs for it. Undeterred, she twists out of his grip. Kanan grins beneath the mask and keeps fighting. They're edging toward the river now. Focused on not falling in, he doesn't realize Hera's in the same situation until it's too late.

A loud splash, followed by a yell, catches his attention. He pushes off the edge of the bank, springs into a backflip and lands in a crouch behind his attacker. His head snaps around.

Hera's managed to disable her opponent, but at a cost. A glimpse of her head above the dark waters- splashing, a gray flash, something detaching from her-

"Wraith!" he yells, then gasps as his opponent's kick catches him in the gut. His world turns upside down. He blinks up at the dark sky, white snow falling down, as his opponent stands over him.

_ Get up_, he thinks  sluggishly. _ Hera needs you._

He pushes to his feet. The man clocks him over the head, and he  nearly  falls again- then lets his leg sweep out, catching the other. He's atop the stranger before they know what's happening.

They tussle.  Another hit to the abdomen- a rip in the sleeve from a bottle shard his enemy grabs- fists punching, some hitting concrete- a final blow to the head-

Then he's panting, and it's done. He looks up. The two other men lie incapacitated on the ground. They won't be getting up anytime soon. 

There's something he needs to be remembering. What-

_Hera_.

Kanan scrambles up, grabs for his radio, switches it on. "Wraith?" he hisses into it. "Wraith! What's your status?"

Static.

Cursing, he runs to the riverbank. The sidewalk continues alongside it for a while. He runs down it fast as he can without slipping, following the current. There's no sign of his partner. The sound of rushing hits his ears, and he's not sure if it's the water or his blood.  Maybe  both.

The thundering rush grows louder, and he realizes why as he comes to a stop. The river's pitch black water is crashing over a dam, well over ten feet down.

_ Hera!_

He collapses on a bench overlooking the waterfront and lets his head drop to his hands, trying to think.

Wraith has done some pretty impossible things in her time. She's defeated men three times her size, taken down metal monstrosities.  He's seen her leap over rooftops and shoot down moving targets three blocks away without batting an eye.

He knows that the sucking current of a dam won't care how well someone can shoot or fight.

"R-Revenant?"

Kanan snaps around at the sound of his other name, hand going to his gun. Hera holds up her hands, backing away. "Revenant. It's me."

He takes a breath, in, out. Then he's up.

"You had me worried," he breathes as he hurries over.

"Sorry," Hera says, wincing. "Radio died in the water."

"You're soaking," he says. _Of course she's soaking, Jarrus, she fell in a river_. "You must be freezing." Pulling her into his arms, he can feel her vibrating against his chest, wet strands of hair falling from her bun. She stiffens.

"I'll be f-fine. Are they gone?"

"Yeah. We need to get you home."

"I know." 

Her cloak is gone. In spite of the chill he's still warm enough, so he drapes his jacket around her, ignoring her weak protests. Then they hobble back to where she parked the Phantom. The ride home is short, only punctuated by a brief argument about who should be driving. Under any other circumstance it would be her, but in the faint lamplight he can see her lips turning blue. Her shivering is starting to verge on violent. They argue until he points out that they're wasting time. She glares at him, but stops objecting.

When they get home, she locks up her motorcycle and they head up. First thing for her is a hot shower. Kanan  practically  shoves her into the bathroom before heading to her room.  They've lived together and cared for each other for three years, but it still feels weird to root through her clothing. Hefinds what she needs, and sets it outside the bathroom door before heading to the kitchen. 

By the time she's emerged he's got tea brewing and soup heating on the stove. A cup of hot chocolate waits on the table, and there's a large pile of blankets sitting on the couch. Her fluffy socks make her so quiet he doesn't realize she's there until she coughs behind him.

"Hey," he greets her, very definitely _not_ startling. "You feelin' better?"

"I'll be fine," she answers. Kanan twists around to look at her, and she raises her hands. " Really. I'm okay."

"You're still shivering."  Even with the hoodie, even with the fluffy socks and the thick sweatpants, he can hear her chattering teeth  .  Maybe  it's his enhanced senses, but he's pretty sure he could hear it even without his abilities. 

Hera looks at him. He points at the hot chocolate and turns back to the stove.

There's huff behind him, a resigned sigh. When he turns off the stove and turns back, he finds her curled on the couch with the mug in both hands.

"We should catch up on the reports," she says when he moves to the T.V. He tries not to groan.

"Sure. When you're not gonna die to hypothermia." He flips it on and flicks through the channels. "Besides, look. It's your favorite." 

"The last time I checked, _Invasion of Triassic Park_ was _ your _favorite," she says, but he can see a smile tugging at her lips.

He flops down beside her, sipping at his tea. She's still shivering. There's an electric blanket somewhere in the mess, and he puts down his drink to root through the pile and plug it in. The hassled look she gives him when he puts it over her tells him what she thinks of him mothering her. She accepts it anyway.

Hera is still shivering ten minutes later when he's come back with soup. He eyes her before handing her a bowl. They eat in silence, and he can practically feel the couch trembling from the force of her.

"Hera,  maybe  we should call-"

Her expression silences him. He sighs, and slides closer. "At least let me help?"

She groans. "Fine."

Hesitantly  he places an arm around her shoulders, sliding a little under the blanket. The movie keeps playing, and he lets her press into his side. Her shivering slows. He  barely  notices, sucked into the movie's storyline even though he's seen it more times than he can count.

They're so comfortable that he's hardly aware of when she ends with her back pressed to his chest, or how his chin's dropped down on her (still damp) head  . As the movie shifts into its closing stages, he finds himself drifting. The room is  comfortably  dim, and his eyes slip shut. 

He's not sure how much time has passed when he becomes aware of himself again. The first thing he notices is how warm he is, how comfortable, how content. How long has it been since he's felt like this?

The second is that he has something- someone- pressed up against him. She's warm and comfortable and his arm is wrapped securely around her, and it takes his sleep drugged brain a second to remember that this is Hera he is...

He is cuddling with. Kanan is _cuddling_ with Hera.

_ Oh God, she's going to kill me. _

She's still and quiet in his arms, and when he dares to move  just  enough to press against her exposed hand, he finds her at her normal warmth. People from the desert territories tend to run hotter than most. Hera's no exception: it's like being by a miniature furnace.

He slits his eyes open, tilts his head. He's pretty sure she's completely asleep. He's also pretty sure that she looks _ very _cute when she's like this.

_We're fighting partners__,_ he reminds himself at the thought. _ Not- _ that _ kind of partner._

He needs to move, but he doesn't want to wake her up. She looks so peaceful, calm and quiet and content that he hasn't seen her in... has he ever seen her like this? He doesn't think so.

_ Please don't kill me_, he thinks, and wraps his arm a little looser around her before letting his eyes slide shut. _ Please don't let me regret this_.

It doesn't take long for him to drift off again. He sleeps better than he has in years. 

(He wakes up to find her gone. She doesn't say anything, so he doesn't either.

It takes a while for him to realize she enjoyed it as much as he had.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kanan does have more supernatural powers, but hasn't made the choice to use them yet (and they wouldn't have helped Hera anyway).


	2. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "hope."

Rey is seven years old and young when the stranger comes.

The stranger is tall and regal, beautiful twisting horns rising from her head. Her blue eyes are warmer than Jakku's washed out skies have ever been. She leans down to meet Rey's eyes, and for the first time in a year Rey is not afraid.

"Who are you?" she asks.

The woman smiles. "I am Ahsoka Tano, and I am here to take you somewhere safe."

When Plutt protests, Ahsoka only scoops Rey into her scarred arms and shoots the man a glare. "Are you going to try and stop me?" she asks. Rey curls further into her, suddenly fearful. She doesn't want Ahsoka to leave. She reminds Rey of someone she can't quite remember.

Unkar only stares. Then he laughs, and waves her on. "See what you can do with her!" he calls after them as Ahsoka carries Rey away. "The girl's worthless, no good for anything anyway."

Rey bites her lip. Ahsoka looks softly down at her, sadness wrinkling in her ancient eyes. "You're not useless," she reassures. "You are wonderful the way you are, little one."

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"A place far from here. And a good home for you, I think."

That's good enough for Rey.

Rey is ten years old and worn when the stranger comes.

The stranger is scarred and gentle, his lined eyes misted white. The crow's feet marking his aged face and his firm, soft spoken tone belies his bulk and height. He puts a hand to Rey's shoulder, and Rey doesn't back away from a stranger's touch for the first time in years.

"Are you my father?" she asks.

The man's smile is soft and sad. "No. I'm sorry I'm not. I'm Kanan Jarrus, and I want to ask you to come with me."

She backs away now. She has learned to be fearful of strangers. "Why do you want me to come with you?"

"Because you're special, Rey. And because I don't think you really like living here."

"No one likes living here. Why me?"

"You have the Force, Rey, and it's strong with you."

She frowns. "What's the Force?"

"Have you heard the stories of the Jedi?"

Of course she's heard the stories. The stories of Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Knight, the man who killed the Emperor, the one who triumphed over the Empire's reign. "Everyone's heard of them."

"The Jedi had the Force, Rey. And so do you. I'm here to teach you about it."

"How do you know I have it? What is it?"

"The Force is all around us, Rey. It's what binds the universe together. It links every being in existence. It runs through all of us, but some of us know it better than others. Like you, and I. I know you have it, just as I can see with it."

She cannot help the skeptical shake of her head. He nods in understanding.

"You don't have to come with me now. I can teach you here, if you want. If you change your mind, you can come with me after we've trained a little. If not... I understand how important family is."

Rey nods.

In the end, she does leave with him. She never looks back.

Rey is seventeen years old and tired when the stranger comes.

The stranger is worn and weary, his gray-streaked hair bleached with sunlight. His eyes match Jakku's vast desert skies, depthless and endless, fathomless in knowledge and ancient grief. He does not touch her, only looks at her with those deep, old eyes.

"Are you my family?" she asks.

The weight to his shoulders only seems to grow at the question. "From a certain point of view. I am Luke Skywalker, and I am here to take you home."

"Luke Skywalker?" she asks. "The Jedi Knight? The one who defeated the Emperor?"

"I was a Jedi once. I didn't defeat the Emperor, but I was there when he fell."

She eyes him. "Why should I believe you?"

He takes something from his belt. It comes to life with a snap and a hiss, and the blade, an impossible shade of green found only in fairytales, hums into being. Luke holds it steady for a long moment, then lets the thrumming blade shut down.

Rey nods. "Why do you want me?"

"Because, Rey," he says heavily. "You're like me. You have the Force. And you're the galaxy's last hope."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three different universes. How did they happen? Where do they lead? No one can say.
> 
> Right now it seems like I'll probably be running on an every-other-day posting schedule, though I'll probably deviate from that within a week of having written this. Ah, jinxes.

**Author's Note:**

> As a sidenote: these aren't polished pieces. I'll usually put them through an online editor and fix up the grammatical bits and occasional OOC part, but they'll pretty much be as is. I'm using the challenge as an opportunity to get better at writing, but not everything here will be stuff I'm happy with. Feedback is always appreciated!  
Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
